I did not expect this thing to go viral (no pun intended) but I looked through some of the shares and their comments. Many were just as pleasantly surprised as I was and supportive of the need for universal healthcare. Some were skeptical about the price, one person thought this was in Thailand, a few made excuses to bash Taiwan’s health system despite them knowing nothing about it. So I thought I would clarify a few things:
1: Yes, Taiwan has a noticeably cheaper cost of living than the US, healthcare included. However, Taiwan isn’t /that/ cheap. There are places in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe that are significantly cheaper than Taiwan.
2: Taiwan is not a poor country by any measure. It’s GDP per capita is higher than Denmark, Austria and Canada.
3: Yes, doctors make less here, but it’s still considered a respected middle class profession. And there seems to be no shortage of them.
4: Some people argued that exchange rates mean US$80 is a fortune for a Taiwanese person. No, you just have a poor understanding of numismatics. The exchange rate has nothing to do with the overall cost. Just because $1 Taiwan dollar is US 3¢ doesn’t mean I can live large here. $50 Taiwan dollars won’t even buy you a Big Mac.
5: Yes, taxes pay for the healthcare here. No, they are not high. Try for yourself: The formula for the NHI monthly premium contribution for a single employed adult is:
[your monthly income] x 0.0469 (4.69%) x 0.3 (30%) = Your monthly out-of-pocket healthcare premium
6: It’s not perfect. Not everything is 100% covered. I had a good experience, but Im sure many people have had [non-financial] medical horror stories here.
7: This system exists because the Taiwanese government believes that healthcare is a right for all of its citizens, rather than a privilege for those who can afford it. Those aren’t my words, thats what the Ministry of Health said in its English language brochure. Every Taiwanese citizen and foreign permanent resident is entitled to, and required to enroll in the National Health Insurance Program (NHI). Everyone is covered, regardless of employment status, no one is uninsured, no one ever goes bankrupt due to medical bills.
I have yet to meet a Taiwanese person who wasn’t satisfied with, or even outright proud of their healthcare system. My expat friends praise it, even those from countries with universal healthcare systems of their own.
Taiwan is less wealthy than the US, yet it spends less and gets more out of its healthcare system. We see the same story repeat itself in every other developed nation. This debate is all so tiresome, because there is no debate. Universal healthcare works, it can be done here, it can be done in any country with sufficient resources. All we need is political will and an implementation plan. Pardon my French but, America, get your head out of your ass, and stop making excuses.
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